PitchYourBigIdea

The fate of the world depends on it (dramatic pause...)

We’re excited to invest our money and expertise in your fundraising idea, in order to help drive our charity’s growth objectives. Work back from your created future. From nothing to something. See you at the finish line.”

- Chip Wilson

The Accelerator Fund

imagine1day is changing the rules of charity. For starters, we’re not asking for your money. In fact, we want to flip the equation and put OUR money into YOUR big fundraising idea. Because we believe our best bet at expanding our growth capital is to invest in ideas and the people behind them. Because we envision a future where audacious ideas help us achieve our audacious goals. Introducing imagine1day’s Accelerator Fund: a combination of funding and a top notch network of advisors to equip you with the fuel to create a world changing charitable project, and a meaningful financial contribution to help send children in Ethiopia to school with imagine1day.

And in the end you’ll grow and develop, become connectedto an experienced and influential group of advisors,and launch your BIG idea into the world

imagine1day is ready to grow and we want you to be part of making that happen. You have endless passion to generate positive change, a hunger to create, and a willingness to take a leap of faith and trust that your great idea is meant for the world stage. The investors and advisors of the Accelerator Fund want to help you bring your world-changing fundraising idea to life. All that's left is to make it fly.

Here's How it Works

1. You Apply

Using the online application form, tell us about your idea and all that makes it great. Be prepared to share what you are setting out to generate as a net contribution to imagine1day.

2. We Help You Get Your Ideas Pitch Ready

The best ideas will be selected and assigned a top notch advisor (aka someone who has successfully launched ideas and built businesses), who will help you refine your idea and get it ready for the big stage.

3. You Rock the Stage

You'll present your idea to the likes of notable social entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and philanthropists, who will determine the amount of funding your idea will receive.

4. Your Idea Comes to Life

With the support of the Accelerator Fund advisors, and the funding you receive, you and your team will bring your idea to life and generate a contribution to imagine1day.

Apply Now

We are beyond excited for you to tell us all about your big idea.

What do we mean by "big idea”? Anything you dream up: an event, a product, an adventurous excursion, a film or music production, an art exhibit, a public stunt, a new technology, game or app, a crowd sourcing initiative. We will consider all fundraising ideas that set out to raise $10,000 or more in net proceeds for imagine1day, but preference will be given to projects that will hit that minimum out of the park. The evaluation of all ideas will take into account the applicant’s ability to fund some expenses through cash and in-kind sponsorship.

Use the button below to take the first step towards accelerating your big idea. You can apply on your own or as a team. If you're a team, please make sure to include the contact information for one representative. For the inaugural launch of the Accelerator Fund, applications close on January 17, 2013.

Pitch your big idea - Apply Now!

Thank you for your interest in applying for The Accelerator Fund. As a first step, please fill in the fields below. Once we receive your information, we will send you the full application by email.

imagine1day

In 2007, a small group of passionate people set out to turn the charitable world upside down and on its head. From the world of ideas, from nothingness really, imagine1day leaped into reality. With visionary leadership and a solid financial base, imagine1day was formed. Grounded in its mission of developing leaders to elevate the world, and a goal to ensure “All Ethiopians have access to quality education funded free of foreign aid by 2030”, imagine1day has grown from an idea into an inspiring movement, founded in a palpable culture and commitment to leadership development, possibility, and most importantly, fun!

Creating the next generation of leaders takes talent, time, commitment and…money! In 2007, Chip and Shannon Wilson endowed imagine1day with $10 million. They did this to ensure that their charity could get started with sufficient capital to operate with rigour in order to make a difference quickly, and to enable 100% of every dollar donated to directly fund education projects in Ethiopia. And it’s working. imagine1day currently funds 123 schools in Ethiopia, impacting over 60,000 children each year. With no plans to slow down, we’re committed to investing in our growth to further our mission and achieve our goal. Only then will we close the doors and rest. Our growth requires ongoing financial investment beyond our endowment earning potential and we’ve envisioned the Accelerator Fund as an integral catalyst to build needed growth capital. The way we see it is this is a business model wherein, we, together with a committed group of investors and advisors, accelerate people’s big ideas and build their leadership potential. In turn these people and their ideas accelerate imagine1day’s growth, so that we can continue to rock the business of revolutionizing charity.

From building new schools, to building teachers’ professional capacity, to driving transformational leadership in communities and government, here’s a snapshot of what your big idea will help multiply…

Educating Children

Children are natural born leaders. We focus on developing their full self-expression by helping to create quality learning environments that integrate programming beyond the core curriculum. Extra-curricular school clubs, peer tutoring, creative writing and sports competitions give children the chance to leave a legacy every day.

Building Professional Capacity

Educators inspire ingenuity in their students. From student-centered teaching methodologies, to practical science applications, our professional development programs are designed to ignite imagination and passion in teachers so they feel confident and motivated to walk into their classrooms each day, ready to make a difference.

Elevating PTA Effectiveness

A school’s success is driven by the strength of its leadership. We work hand in hand with Parent Teacher Associations to guide them through the process of vision and goal setting, and to elevate their communication with one another. With this training, they are able to garner the support of their community and take a giant leap into the future.

Fostering Community Ownership

Creating a legacy of education is a priority for community leaders. At every stage of planning, implementation & monitoring, we involve key community members to ensure their stake in their schools. Communities contribute 10-20% in cash toward construction costs, as well as labour and materials to support income generation activities for their schools.

Supporting a Nation's Vision

Ethiopia’s vision is to be a middle income country by 2025, and our goal is that all Ethiopians have access to quality education free of foreign aid by 2030. We design our programs to create systemic change, through leadership development and technical capacity building at all levels of government and across all sector offices that influence our holistic approach.